Contact us today to learn more about each state and their individual statutes and restrictions.

State

Eligibility

Compensation

Deadline

Alabama
Code of Ala. §29-2-150 et seq

Convicted of a felony;

Incarcerated as a result of the conviction; or jailed for two years on a felony charge before having the charge dismissed on grounds of innocence; and

Conviction is vacated or reversed and the accusatory document dismissed on grounds of innocence, or accusatory document dismissed on grounds consistent with innocence.

$50,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment. The Committee on Compensation for Wrongful Incarceration can recommend amounts above $50,000 but the excess must be approved by the legislature.

Must file within 2 years of exoneration or dismissal of the accusatory instrument.

Alaska

No statute

Arizona

No statute

Arkansas

No statute

California
Calif.. Penal Code §4900 et seq.

Convicted of a felony and served at least part of the sentence in state prison or county jail; and

Pardoned on the grounds of innocence, or is innocent because what s/he was charged with was either not a crime or was not committed by him/her.

$140 per day of wrongful imprisonment.

Must file for compensation within 2 years after either judgment of acquittal or pardon, or after release from custody.

Colorado
C.R.S. 13-65-101 et seq

Convicted of a felony and served at least part of the sentence;

Reliable evidence is presented that s/he was factually innocent of any participation in the crime at issue;

Didn’t commit, attempt to commit, conspire to commit, or solicit the commission of, the crime at issue or any crime factually related to the crime at issue;

Finding of factual innocence can’t be based solely on uncorroborated witness recantation.

$70,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment, plus $50,000 for each year served while sentenced to execution, plus $25,000 for each year served on parole or probation or on a sex registry. If the incarceration exceeded three years, the exoneree receives tuition waiver for himself/herself and any children conceived or adopted before incarceration.

Must file for compensation within 2 years after a court reverses or vacates the conviction.

Connecticut
Conn. Gen. Statute 54-102uu

Convicted of a crime and served at least part of the sentence;

Conviction was vacated or reversed and (a) the complaint was dismissed on grounds of innocence, or (b) the complaint was dismissed on a ground citing an act or omission that constitutes malfeasance or other serious misconduct by any officer, agent, employee or official of the state that contributed to the arrest, prosecution, conviction or incarceration.

Compensation is “at a minimum, but may be up to two hundred per cent of the median household income for the state for each year such person was incarcerated, as determined by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, adjusted for inflation using the consumer price index for urban consumers.”

Must file for compensation within 2 years after a pardon or dismissal of complaint.

Delaware

No statute

District of Columbia
D.C. Code §2-421 et seq.

Convicted of a criminal offense;

Imprisoned;

Conviction has been reversed or set aside on the ground that the person is not guilty, or on new trial or rehearing was found not guilty, or has been pardoned on the grounds of innocence and unjust conviction; and

Based on clear and convincing evidence, did not commit any of the acts charged or the acts or omissions constituted no offense against the United States or the District of Columbia and the person did not, by own misconduct, cause or bring about his/her own prosecution.

Not eligible if there was a guilty plea, unless it was an Alford

Court determines fair and reasonable compensation.

Unspecified.

Florida
Fla. Stat. 961.01 et seq

Convicted of a felony and sentenced;

Must file a petition showing that “verifiable and substantial evidence of actual innocence exists;”

Must not be disqualified. Disqualification exists where (1) before the wrongful conviction there was a conviction or guilty/no contest plea to a felony, or (2) during the wrongful imprisonment there was a conviction or guilty/no contest plea to a felony, or (3) during the wrongful incarceration the person was serving a concurrent sentence for another felony that the person was not wrongfully convicted of.

$50,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment (up to a maximum of $2 million); up to 120 hours of tuition at a career center, community college or state university and college or state university and college or state university; reimbursement for any fines or costs imposed at the time of the wrongful sentence; and payment of all attorney fees incurred and paid in connection with the criminal proceedings that led to the wrongful conviction.

Must file petition for certification of actual innocence within 90 days after order vacating the conviction and sentence becomes final. Claim for compensation must be filed within 2 years after court determines person meets definition of “wrongfully incarcerated person.”

Georgia

No statute

Hawaii
2016 Hi. Act 156

Conviction must be reversed or vacated on the grounds of actual innocence, or

Pardon granted on grounds of actual innocence.

Not eligible for compensation if the state proves (1) the exoneree was concurrently serving a sentence for another crime; (2) the exoneree committed perjury or fabricated evidence or induced another person to commit perjury or fabricate evidence to cause or bring about the conviction at issue; or (3) the exoneree solicited, conspired, attempted to commit, or assisted in the commission of the crime at issue or any crime factually related to the crime at issue.

$50,000 for each year of wrongful incarceration, and for “extraordinary circumstances” up to $100,000 in additional compensation. Attorneys assisting exonerees may not charge or receive more than 25% of the compensation.

Must file claim within 2 years after the conviction is reversed or vacated or the exoneree is pardoned.

Judgment of conviction was reversed or vacated, and the indictment or information dismissed (or, if a new trial was ordered, either found not guilty at the new trial or was not retried and the indictment or information dismissed), or the statute, or application thereof, on which the indictment or information was based violated the Constitution of the United States or the State of Illinois;

Innocent of the offenses charged in the indictment or information or his or her acts or omissions charged in the indictment or information did not constitute a felony or misdemeanor against the State; and

Didn’t voluntarily cause or bring about his or her own conviction.

Up to a total of $85,350 for imprisonment of 5 years or less; up to a total of $170,000 for imprisonment of 14 years or less but over 5 years; and up to a total of $199,150 for imprisonment of over 14 years. Amounts increase with the Consumer Price Index. Also, attorney fees are awarded in an amount not more than 25% of the exoneree’s award.

Must file petition seeking certificate of innocence within 2 years after dismissal of indictment or acquittal.

Indiana

No statute

Iowa
Iowa Code 663A.1

Charged with a felony or aggravated misdemeanor;

Convicted and did not plead guilty to the charge or to any lesser included offense;

Sentenced to an indeterminate term if the offense was a felony or to a term of not more than two years if the offense was an aggravated misdemeanor;

Conviction was vacated, dismissed or reversed and no further proceedings can be or will be held based on any facts/circumstances that had been alleged in the proceedings that resulted in the conviction;

Imprisonment was solely on the basis of the conviction that was vacated, dismissed or reversed;

Court must find by clear and convincing evidence that the offense was not committed by the person or was not committed by any person.

$50 per day of wrongful imprisonment; lost wages he/she would have received, up to $25,000 per year; restitution of fines imposed and paid, attorney fees incurred as a result of the wrongful conviction; and attorney fees for pursuing the claim.

Must file claim within 2 years after entry of a court order finding the person to have been wrongfully imprisoned.

Kansas

No statute

Kentucky

No statute

Louisiana
R.S. 15:572.8

Convicted of a crime and served at least part of sentence;

Conviction has been reversed or vacated;

Clear and convincing proof demonstrates the person did not commit the crime and did not commit any crime based upon the same set of facts in the original conviction.

$25,000 per year for each year of wrongful imprisonment, not to exceed a total of $250,000. The court may also consider requests for payment, up to an additional $80,000, for job-skills training, medical and counseling services, and tuition.

No compensation for times while concurrently serving a sentence for another crime.

Must file claim within 2 years of the date the conviction was vacated or reversed.

Maine
M.R.S. §8241

Convicted of a criminal offense and served time;

Received a pardon from the governor accompanied by a written finding of innocence, and

A court finds the person is innocent.

Up to $300,000 per wrongful conviction.

Must file within 2 years after being pardoned.

Maryland
State Finance and Procurement Code Ann. §10-501

Convicted, sentenced and confined for a crime the individual did not commit; and

Full pardon from the governor stating the conviction has been conclusively shown to be in error.

Board of Public Works determines compensation packages based on “actual damages,” plus an amount for “financial or other appropriate counseling.”

Unspecified.

Massachusetts
ALM GL. ch. 258D

Convicted and served time;

Full pardon from the governor stating in writing a belief in the individual’s innocence, or

Granted relief by a court on grounds that tend to establish innocence, and (a) the relief vacates or reverses a felony conviction, and the felony indictment or complaint has been dismissed, or if a new trial was ordered the individual either was found not guilty or was not retried and the felony indictment or complaint was dismissed, and (b) at the time of the filing of a claim for compensation, no criminal proceeding is pending or can be brought against the individual for any act associated with the felony conviction.

A person is ineligible if he/she plead guilty to the offense that resulted in the wrongful conviction.

Up to $500,000 in damages, taking into consideration the income the claimant would have earned; the particular circumstances of the claimant’s trial and other proceedings; the length and conditions under which the claimant was incarcerated and; any other factors deemed appropriate under the circumstances in order to fairly and reasonably compensate the claimant. The damages may include an award of medical or other health services, and educational services from any state or community college of Massachusetts.

Must file claim within 2 years after the pardon or grant of judicial relief.

Michigan
MCLS 691.1751 et seq

Convicted of a crime and served at least part of the sentence;

Conviction was reversed or vacated and charges were dismissed or on retrial the person was found not guilty; and

New evidence demonstrates the person was not the perpetrator and was not an accessory or accomplice to the acts that were the basis of the conviction and resulted in a reversal or vacation of the conviction, dismissal, not guilty finding, or pardon.

$50,000 for every year of wrongful incarceration. Reasonable attorney fees may be awarded in an amount of up to 10% of the total award or $50,000, whichever is less, and the attorney is not entitled to receive additional fees from the exoneree.

Must file within 3 years after entry of an order reversing or vacating the conviction and dismissing the charges or an order, after retrial, finding the exoneree not guilty.

Vacates or reverses a conviction on grounds consistent with innocence and the prosecutor dismisses the charges, or orders a new trial on grounds consistent with innocence and the prosecutor dismisses the charges or the person is found not guilty on retrial; and

the time for appealing the court order resulting in exoneration has expired or the order has been affirmed and is final.

A person is eligible for compensation if he/she is exonerated and

Convicted of a felony and served any part of the sentence in prison;

If convicted of multiple charges arising out of the same incident, was exonerated for all of those charges;

Didn’t commit or induce anyone to commit perjury or fabricate evidence to cause the conviction; and

Wasn’t serving time for another crime at the same time.

A person who confesses or enters a guilty plea is not ineligible if the confession is later found to be false or the guilty plea is to a crime the person did not commit.

At least $50,000 and not more than $100,000 for each year of wrongful imprisonment and between $25,000 and $50,000 per year for each year served on supervised release or on a registry. Compensation is based on wage loss, injuries or sickness incurred as a result of imprisonment.

Must file a claim within 60 days after an exoneree receives an order from the court stating he/she is eligible for compensation.

Mississippi
Miss. Code Ann. 11-44-1 et seq.

To be eligible a person must establish:

Convicted of a felony and served at least part of the sentence;

On grounds not inconsistent with innocence: (a) He/she was pardoned and the pardon says it was based on innocence; or (b) the conviction was vacated and/or reversed;

If conviction was vacated/reversed, either the indictment was dismissed or a new trial was held and the person was found not guilty; and

Didn’t intentionally waive any appellate or post-conviction remedy in order to obtain the wrongful conviction compensation.

Once eligible, to receive compensation the person must prove:

Convicted of a felony and served at least part of the sentence;

Either pardoned (and the pardon was based on innocence) or the judgment of conviction was reversed or vacated and dismissed, and if a new trial was held he/she was found not guilty;

Didn’t commit the felony, or the acts/omissions didn’t constitute a felony; and

Didn’t commit or suborn perjury or fabricate evidence to bring about the conviction.

$50,000 per year of wrongful incarceration up to a maximum of $500,000. Payment is made at a rate of $50,000 per year.

Reasonable attorney fees may be awarded in an amount of 10% of the amount awarded for preparing the claim, 20% for litigating the claim if it is contested, and 25% if the claim is appealed. The attorney is not entitled to receive additional fees from the exoneree.

Must file claim within 3 years of the pardon or grant of judicial relief.

Missouri
650.058 R.S.Mo.

Convicted of a felony; and

Must be “actually innocent” and be exonerated through DNA testing.

Anyone who receives money under the statute is prohibited from suing the state over the wrongful conviction.

$50 per day for each day of wrongful incarceration, but cannot receive more than $36,500 per year in statutory compensation.

Unspecified.

Montana
53-1-214, MCA

Convicted of a felony and served time; and

Conviction was overturned based on DNA testing that exonerates the person of the crime for which he/she was convicted.

Educational aid at the state’s expense.

Benefit is available for ten years after release from prison.

Nebraska
R.R.S. Neb. §29-4601 et seq.

Convicted of a felony and served at least part of the sentence;

Pardoned, a court has vacated the conviction, or the conviction was reversed and no subsequent conviction was obtained;

Innocent of the crime(s); and

Didn’t commit perjury, fabricate evidence, or otherwise make a false statement to cause or bring about the conviction or the conviction of another.

A guilty, a confession, or an admission, coerced by law enforcement and later found to be false, does not constitute bringing about his or her own conviction of the crime.

Up to $500,000.

Must file claim within 2 years of the pardon or the order vacating or reversing the conviction.

Nevada

No statute

New Hampshire
RSA 541-B:14

Innocent of the crime.

Up to a total of $20,000 for time “unjustly served in the state prison.”

Must file action within 3 years of the “date of injury.”

New Jersey
N.J. Stat. §52:4C-1

Convicted of a crime and served at least part of the sentence;

Didn’t commit the crime;

Didn’t commit or suborn perjury, fabricate evidence, or cause or bring about the conviction; and

Didn’t plead guilty to the crime

Neither a confession or admission later found to be false constitutes committing or suborning perjury, fabricating evidence, or causing or bringing about the conviction.

Greater of (a) twice the exoneree’s income in the year prior to incarceration, or (b) $50,000 for each year of incarceration. If the amount exceeds $1 million it will be paid over 20 years.

Must file claim within 2 years of being pardoned or released from prison.

New Mexico

No statute

New York
NY CLS Ct C Act § 8-b

Convicted of a felony and served at least part of the sentence;

Pardoned on the grounds of innocence or the conviction was reversed or vacated and the complaint/indictment dismiss (or, if a new trial was ordered, he/she was either not retried or was found not guilty);

If conviction was reversed or vacated, it was on grounds of: (a) no jurisdiction; (b) the judgment was procured by duress or /misrepresentation or fraud by a prosecutor or the court; (c) material evidence was false and prior to the entry of judgment was known by the prosecutor or court to be false; (d) the defendant was incapable of understanding the proceedings; or (e) new evidence has been discovered or DNA evidence shows the claimant was innocent or likely would have made the verdict more favorable to the claimant

Didn’t commit the act; and

Didn’t by his/her own conduct bring about the conviction.

The court of claims determines an amount that’s fair.

Claims must be filed within 2 years after a pardon or dismissal of the complaint/indictment that led to the conviction.

North Carolina
N.C. Gen. Stat. §148-82 et seq.

Convicted of a felony and has served time; and

Pardoned by the governor on the grounds that either the crime wasn’t committed at all or wasn’t committed by the claimant, or

Has been determined to be innocent and all charges have been dismissed after being convicted after pleading not guilty or no contest.

$50,000 per year of wrongful imprisonment, up to maximum of $750,000. Also can be awarded job skills training for one year and tuition and fees for any public North Carolina community college of constituent institution of the University of North Carolina.

Must file within 5 years after pardon or dismissal of charges.

North Dakota

No statute

Ohio
Ohio Rev. Code §2743.48

Found guilty of, but did not plead guilty to, a felony or a lesser included offense;

Conviction was vacated, dismissed or reversed on appeal, the prosecutor cannot or will not seek any further appeal, and no criminal proceeding is pending, can be brought, or will be brought for any act associated with the conviction; and

After sentencing or during or after imprisonment, an error in procedure resulted in the person’s release or it was determined the person either didn’t commit the crime or the crime wasn’t committed by anyone.

To obtain compensation, the person must file an action to be declared a “wrongfully imprisoned individual.”

$43,330 per year of imprisonment, plus any lost wages and attorney fees.

Must file action in court of claims within 2 years after a court enters a determination that the person is a “wrongfully imprisoned individual.”

Oklahoma
51 Okla. St. §154

Received a full pardon based on a written finding of actual innocence, or granted judicial relief absolving all guilt on basis of actual innocence.

“Actual innocence” means

Convicted of a felony without pleading guilty to the charge or to any lesser included offense;

Imprisoned solely on the basis of that conviction; and

Either pardoned on the basis that he/she didn’t commit the crime or a court found by clear and convincing evidence that he/she didn’t commit the crime and issued an order vacating, reversing or dismissing the conviction and providing that no further proceedings can or will be held.

Up to $175,000.

Must file claim within 1 year after pardon or entry of judicial relief based on actual innocence.

Pardoned for innocence or granted habeas corpus relief based on a finding of actual innocence, or

Granted habeas corpus relief and (a) the state has entered an order dismissing the charge and (b) the dismissal order is based on a motion to dismiss in which the state’s attorney says no credible evidence exists that inculpates the defendant and the state’s attorney says he believes the person is actually innocent.

$80,000 per year of imprisonment, plus $25,000 per year for any years spent on parole or as a registered sex offender. Also, tuition for up to 120 credit hours.

Must file claim within 3 years after the pardon or habeas relief.

Utah
Utah Code Ann. §78B-9-401 et seq

Must establish factual innocence with clear and convincing evidence, after filing a petition stating:

The specific evidence identified by the petitioner in the petition establishes innocence;

The material evidence is not merely cumulative of evidence that was known;

The material evidence is not merely impeachment evidence; and

Viewed with all the other evidence, the newly discovered evidence demonstrates that the petitioner is factually innocent.

Compensation is provided for each year of wrongful imprisonment, up to a maximum of 15 years, and is calculated based on the average annual nonagricultural payroll wage in Utah at the time of the petitioner’s release from prison.

Unspecified.

Vermont
13 V.S.A. §5572 et seq.

Convicted of a felony and served at least six months;

Conviction was reversed or vacated, the indictment was dismissed, or the complainant was acquitted after a second or subsequent trial; or the complainant was pardoned for the crime for which he or she was sentenced;

Actually innocent, i.e., did not engage in any illegal conduct alleged in the charging documents; and

Didn’t fabricate evidence or commit or suborn perjury during any proceedings related to the crime.

Between $30,000 and $60,000 per year of imprisonment, and may also include damages for lost wages, up to 10 years of health coverage, money for reintegration services and mental/physical health care costs between the time of release and the time of the award, and attorney fees. If the person accepts the compensation he/she releases all claims against the state.

Must file claim within 3 years after exoneration.

Virginia
Va. Code Ann. §8.01-195.10 et seq.

Conviction has been vacated or pardon granted on the basis of innocence;

Entered a not guilty plea or, regardless of the plea, was sentenced to death, or convicted of a Class 1 felony, a Class 2 felony, or any felony for which the maximum penalty is imprisonment for life; and

Didn’t intentionally contribute to the conviction.

An amount equal to 90% of the inflation-adjusted Virginia per capita personal income for each year of wrongful imprisonment. 20% of the compensation is paid in a lump sum and the remaining 85% is paid in installments over 25 years.

If convicted of a felony after compensation is awarded, the remaining amount is forfeited. Also, acceptance of compensation waives all claims.

Unspecified.

Washington
Rev. Code Wash. 4.100.010 et seq.

Convicted of a felony and at least part of the sentence;

Not currently incarcerated for any offense;

During the wrongful imprisonment was not serving a concurrent sentence for another crime;

Pardoned on grounds consistent with innocence, or conviction was reversed or vacated and the indictment dismissed on the basis of significant new exculpatory information (or, if a new trial was ordered either was found not guilty or the claimant was not retried);

Didn’t engage in any illegal conduct alleged in the indictment; and

Didn’t commit or suborn perjury, or fabricate evidence to cause or bring about the conviction.

$50,000 per year of wrongful confinement and an additional $50,000 per year for each year served under a sentence of death, plus $25,000 per year for each year served on parole or as a registered sex offender. Compensation also includes attorney fees at 10%, not to exceed $75,000, and counsel is not entitled to any additional fees from the claimant.

Must file claim within 3 years after the pardon or grant of judicial relief.

West Virginia
W.Va. Code §14-2-13a

Arrested and imprisoned for a felony, and charges were dismissed when another person was subsequently charged, arrested and convicted of the same felony;

Convicted of a felony and served all or any part of the sentence; or

Pardoned on the ground of innocence, or the conviction was reversed or vacated, and the indictment dismissed (or, if a new trial was ordered, was found not guilty or was not retried), or the indictment was based on an unconstitutional statute or its application;

Didn’t commit the crime, or the acts didn’t constitute a felony or misdemeanor in West Virginia; and

Didn’t cause or bring about the conviction.

Discretion of the court.

Must file claim within 2 years after pardon or dismissal.

Wisconsin
Wisc. Stat. 775.05

Clear and convincing evidence of innocence; and

Didn’t by bring about the conviction by own act or omission.

Up to $5000 for each year of imprisonment, up to a maximum of $25,000.

Unspecified.

Wyoming

No statute

Act Quickly!

You may be eligible for compensation if:

You were convicted of a felony and served at least part of the sentence

Your conviction has been vacated or reversed and the charges against you have been dismissed